Kinderculture: Are Disney Movies Good for Kids?

Kinderculture is a book that addresses the many aspects of culture that children are affected by and ultimately end up contributing to in many ways. Chapter 6 discusses the affect of movies, specifically Disney movies on children. The author highlights the fact that Disney had a sort of monopoly on children's movies. They create films and educational videos that attract child and adult audiences alike. Those films generate great amounts of income through products found in stores. Disney is incappable of realeasing just a movie, stuffed animals, soundtracks, action figures, and clothing always follow. The demand for these items are brought on by the children's desires. Even the theme parks will introduce the new characters and rides to satisfy the wide spread population of the newest movies. This population does not just include American youth. Disney relases their movies and products in numerous languages and countries. Besides the impact that the materials have on the youth of the world, the messages within the movies also play a big role. Most of the characters in Disney movies are living in single parent families. Most of these characters are without mothers and are mainly raised by fathers. Characters generally must overcome a giant obstacle giving the story a "rages to ritches" theme in most cases. There are also political messages surrounding the movies that children might not pick up on, but parents can be quick to recognize. With all these messages flooding the imaginations of children, what are children picking up on? What are they learning to value and understand based on these movies? The questions are not completely answered in this book, but ideas are addressed. The ideas put forth by the author include ideas that children may learn false expectations for love and friendship. They might not be able to escape this imaginative world and are forced to grow up not understanding reality. This is in extreme cases, and the author mainly believes that the learning opportunities, and the opportunity for children to stretch their imaginative boundries outweigh the harm the movies might cause. As always parents should monitor their child's viewing and consumer intake in order to protect them.

Kinderculture

By Shirley R. Steinberg, Joe L. Kincheloe

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